Los Angeles Rams already have a plan in place to replace draft capital lost in the Trent McDuffie trade
Les Snead has already built a plan to replenish the Rams’ draft capital they lost in the blockbuster Trent McDuffie trade.
On Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Rams officially pulled off their blockbuster deal for cornerback Trent McDuffie, kicking off the most important offseason in recent history for the team.
It was a hefty price to secure McDuffie’s services. On top of giving him a contract that will make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, the Rams had to give up a first-round pick, a fifth-round pick, a sixth-round pick, and a 2027 third-round selection. Most expected the first-round pick to go, and most of the pushback has been surrounding the third-round pick in 2027.
However, the Rams already have a plan in place to replace that third-round pick.
Rams using the NFL’s rulebook to replenish their future
A few years ago, the NFL implemented an amendment to the Rooney Rule. The NFL now awards compensatory third-round picks to teams that lose a minority assistant coach or executive to a head coach or general manager position with another club. If a team lost a minority executive or coach to another team, that team would receive a third-round compensatory pick for two years. If a team lost both a coach and personnel member, it would receive a third-round compensatory pick for three years.
The Rams have already benefitted with this once when Raheem Morris was hired away by the Atlanta Falcons. In 2024, they used that pick to select safety Kamren Kinchens, and in 2025, the Rams used their compensatory selection as part of the deal that gave them the Falcons’ first-round pick this year. That deal allowed them to pull off the move for McDuffie.
How does this benefit the Rams now? Offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase qualifies as a minority candidate with the Rams. After interviewing several times and emerging as a finalist for the Cleveland Browns’ job, it feels more than likely that Scheelhaase will be named a head coach for some team next season, given his promotion to offensive coordinator and the Sean McVay pipeline.
If all goes to plan next season, the Rams will be picking low in the third round, close to where that compensatory selection will be awarded. If the Rams do win the Super Bowl, that pick would be 96th, whereas the compensatory selection will likely be somewhere from 98th to 102. I think the Rams are ok with dropping a few spots next year in order to secure McDuffie.
Of course, this is all contingent on the Rams’ season going the way they want it to. However, they are already signaling their intent to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of a Super Bowl this season. If the plan works out, Les Snead might cement his legacy into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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